User blog:Scottick/ATWCN: Part 1 - Chapter 5
Chapter 5 - The Buzzening Hornets confirmed for top-tier species. <- Chapter 4 Chapter 6 -> (The team, along with the fully assembled Radon Fighters, head towards Bluzerker Corps.'s main headquarters to take down the organization once and for all. They are currently walking through a forest to reach the secluded base.) Stristan: You know, people keep saying that I'm a freak for loving the number three so much. Stechie: ...even though it's been a while since you started raving about it. Firestarter: Although it does make sense. You're the leader of a trio, "tri-" is in your name, and you didn't seem to have a problem getting your id and superego to cooperate when they became their own entities. Stristan: So you weren't completely frozen at the time? Firestarter: Well, it was just magic. Nowhere Man: On that note, I'd have to imagine you'd have to be just as over-obsessive for technology to just confine your small body to a robot rather than bring yourself back to normal size. Stechie: You have no idea. I've been able to build so many more things since I started living in this thing! I'm pretty much a walking Swiss Army Knife here! Megadeth: Are you sure that's a description you wanna go with? Even my parents didn't approve of my new name as "Megadeth." Stechie: Nah, it's okay. Besides, my parents are programmed into the computer! Stechie's parents: Hi, Stessa! Stechie: Mom! Dad! Don't call me that in front of the guys! (By now, the group has nearly made it out of the forest and into the base entrance.) Skybomber: So before we head in, is there anything any of you would like to add? Firestarter: You make it sound like we're walking into certain death. Stechie: Yeah, we'll make it out alright. But I'll bite; I wonder if the place has any cool technology for me to play wi-err, "experiement" with once we head in and hollow the place out! Nowhere Man: Personally, I would have liked to teach Megadeth Algebra. Megadeth: Hey man, my brain hurts enough as is since I got hypnotized! Pitchshifter: Face it, man. You got hypnotized way quicker than I did. Heh, you're dumber than me! Megadeth: ...so yeah, I guess I'll add that I wish I could've strangled Pitchshifter before coming here. Skybomber: ...Stristan? How about you? Stristan: ...sorry, I was just getting caught up in the fact that there's only seven of us. Seven. Gah! Just two away from nine! That's like, three times three! Skybomber: Seven? Isn't someone missing? Stechie: Missing? Oh, you're talking about Sthien! He's not missing, he just hasn't talked yet! Isn't that right, Sthi- (Stechie turns only to see nothing. Sthien really is gone.) Stechie: ...oh. Stristan: Oh, that's right, he said he had to go check on something and that he'll catch up with us. You don't think... Firestarter: Who knows, but let's go look for him anyways. All: Right! (The group splits up to search for Sthien. Megadeth and Nowhere Man come across a giant boulder.) Megadeth: Maybe he's under this giant boulder! Nowhere Man: ...either you got hit by a boulder or that hypnotism made you crazier than ever. Megadeth: ...you may be half-right. Now hurry up and help me lift this thing! (Megadeth struggles to lift the boulder, then stops.) Megadeth: ...okay! If at first you don't succeed, try again! (The boulder moves slightly higher than his last lift. A faint beep is heard.) Megadeth: Phew! Third time's the charm, then! Nowhere Man: Ugh...we're gonna be here all day...and where's that beeping coming from?! (Meanwhile, Stechie finds herself in front of a path with an obvious rope trap in front of it.) Stechie: Seriously? Who built this thing? (Mocking tone) I'm a genius! I'll just set up a leg trap in the most obvious part of the forest so my target can just walk over it! It's failproo- (As Stechie steps over the rope trap, she suddenly falls through a much better disguised pitfall. Seconds later, she makes a thud.) Stechie: No, no! I'm fine! The spikes broke my fall! Pitchshifter: Stechie! Are you okay- (Pitchshifter steps on the leg trap, letting himself get dragged up!) Pitchshifter: ...hm. This seems familiar. Stechie: And now we're both stuck. What now, genius? Pitchshifter: I save you with my powers, that's what! Watch, I'll just stretch my arm here... (Pitchshifter stretches his arm towards the pit, where Stechie's robot, with the exception of the head cockpit, has been impaled by the spikes.) Pitchshifter: And then I pull you out- (As Pitchshifter grabs the robot body, it suddenly lets loose a stream of electricity, zapping both Pitchshifter and Stechie! Pitchshifter loses his grip and consciousness.) Stechie: ...of all the things that could've been impaled, it just so happened to be the electricity supply. I would express my surprise at the odds, except it appears that my skin is burnt. Also, ow. (Meanwhile, Skybomber, Firestarter and Stristan backtrack from where they came from to find Sthien...) Stristan: ...and that's why the number three is one of the greatest things in existence! What do you think, guys? Firestarter: ...huh. (Whispers to Skybomber) I think I'm going to need serious therepy after we finish this job. Skybomber: Why? Are you not prepared for violence? Firestarter: No. Stristan's why. I think my mind just went blank from the overload of information he just rambled on about. (The three then spot a net with what appears to be orange cloth poking out from it...) Firestarter: ...well, it's not like Megadeth could get himself caught this quickly. It must be Sthien. Skybomber: Who knows, Firestarter. Just be careful... (Firestarter carefully approaches the net, only to find just a little bit of orange cloth inside!) Firestarter: What the?! Skybomber: It's a decoy! Look out! (Firestarter is suddenly knocked back by a giant fist of hornet stingers!) Skybomber: Firestarter! Stristan! Take cover, I'll handle this myself! (Stristan heads back as Skybomber uses his jetpack to raise himself, then drops towards the core of the hornet swarm. The hornets, however, swarm up on Skybomber, reducing his velocity. They then proceed to toss him away into the same area Firestarter was knocked back to, creating an explosion in that area!) Stristan: There's no time to get them now! I gotta warn the others! (Stristan uses the trees to cover his escape. SWM-665 emerges from the hornet swarm and looks out.) SWM-665: Heh heh heh...I would like to play with you fools, but I still have a job to do... (Shadows emerge from SWM-665 to drag the unconscious Skybomber and Firestarter with SWM-665.) (Meanwhile, Megadeth is still trying to lift the boulder.) Megadeth: Huuuuurgh! (Drops boulder) So how many times was that again? Nowhere Man: (Wearily) Your 99th try? Megadeth: Oh, goody! Maybe I'll get it the 100th try! (Megadeth lifts the boulder one more time and easily lifts it up!) Megadeth: Hey, I did it! Nowhere Man: Wait, what's that? (Under the boulder was a time bomb!) Megadeth: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Megadeth pushes the boulder, which rolls into the forest, then explodes and knocks a silhoutte back!) Megadeth: ...uh, sorry! Wonder who that was... Nowhere Man: But look here. We found Sthien! (Indeed, under the boulder and in a pocket on the ground is an unconscious Sthien.) ???: You may have found him, but you won't be keeping him... (Megadeth is stung by a swarm of hornets that eventually knock him out!) Nowhere Man: 'Who?! ''(Nowhere Man disappears in an effort to elude and surprise SWM-665, but is grabbed by the shadows!) '''SWM-665: Can't be affected by other stickmen once you go invisible, is that correct? Not a problem for me, heh heh heh... (As Nowhere Man is stung to unconsciousness, Sthien begins to wake up and see a very faint image of SWM-665 and the hornets. He remains to lay low to avoid catching SWM-665's attention.) SWM-665: Don't bother, kid. I already saw the white of your eyes. Besides, the rest of your friends have already been taken down, so I'll leave you for last. You know, unless you want to die first''.'' (The shadows drag Megadeth and Nowhere Man away. Sthien waits until he's certain that SWM-665 is gone to get up and find the others. He soon runs into Pitchshifter and Stechie.) Sthien: Stechie! Pitchshifter! What happened?! Stechie: Well, Pitchshifter's blood has just rushed into his head, and my robot's electricity supply is leaking. If you ask me, the answer should be obvious. (Sthien immediately pulls Stechie from the pit with his scarf and breaks off the branch holding the rope. Pitchshifter regains his consciousness from hitting the ground.) Pitchshifter: OW! Why's my head feel so weird? Stechie: Welcome to your first headrush, kid. Also, I don't know how I'm gonna get to move at this point. ???: Well, the answer may surprise you: you don't. (SWM-665 stands before Sthien, Stechie and Pitchshifter. Behind him, being dragged by shadows, is Firestarter, Skybomber, Nowhere Man, Megadeth, and Stristan.) Sthien: Stristan?! But how?! SWM-665: You have the other scarfed fellow to thank for rolling that time bomb-strapped boulder towards him. But I digress. You're next! (Sthien runs in one direction while Pitchshifter, while dragging Stechie, runs in the other as SWM-665 sends the shadows at Sthien and his hornets at Pitchshifter and Stechie.) SWM-665: That should keep them busy for a while. In the meantime, I better return the prisoners to Bluzerker control... (Sthien struggles to run from the shadows, which all begin to grow in size as Sthien proceeds deeper into the forest, the trees blocking more of the sun.) Sthien: This is bad. I can't keep track of the shadows anymore! What do I-'' ''(Suddenly, Sthien stops dead in his tracks, a shadow grabbing his! The shadows then proceed to pummel Sthien.)''' (Cut to Pitchshifter and Stechie, who too are struggling to outrun the hornets.) Stechie: You know, if you're trying to rescue me, at least move me a little further from the hornets, you know? Pitchshifter: Shut up, I'm trying to think of something! (Pitchshifter comes across a pond.) Pitchshifter: A-ha! (Pitchshifter tosses Stechie into the pond.) Stechie: Hey! What are you- Pitchshifter: Just stay in that pond until I come back for you! You'll be fine, hornets can't swim! (Pitchshifter runs away as half the swarm chases him while the other half stay over the pond.) Stechie: ...well, I guess he's right. Since this thing's fresh outta batteries, I shouldn't have to worry about getting fried to death while I wait out the hornets. (Suddenly, the glass in Stechie's cockpit cracks, causing water to start seeping in!) Stechie: Now drowning, on the other hand... (Cut back to Sthien, whose been beaten by the shadows to the verge of death.) Sthien: Is...is this it? After all our struggles...after all the luck I got...it can't end here...it can't... (As a shadow prepares to land the final strike, something suddenly stops it - Sthien's scarf! It begins to unravel from Sthien and automatically strikes at the darkness, brightening part of the forest and extinguishing the shadows. Sthien is released from the holds of the shadows.) Sthien: What the? My scarf? (Sthien hears a voice from the scarf...) Voice: Sthien...your time is not yet up...you still have a purpose to fulfill... Sthien: Who...are you? Voice: Who I am does not matter now...for now, you must save your friends...remember, your determination is your ultimate weapon... (The voice dies out and Sthien immediately takes his scarf and whips it around the darkness, fending off the shadows. However, the darkness quickly returns and the shadows reform.) Sthien: I see...the darkness is your fuel. But there is one way to cut it short! (Sthien rises into the trees, his eyes having turned black with red pupils. He takes his scarf and ravels it around his arm.) Sthien: Become one with the light you dread! TYPHOON! TRAILBLAZER! (Sthien unravles his scarf, which emits electricity of such violent degree that the leaves of the trees burn off, fully exposing the shadows to sunlight and extinguishing them for good. Sthien falls back down,his eyes returning to normal.) Sthien: Now to help Stechie and Pitchshifter! (Under the pond, most of Stechie's cockpit is filled with water. Stechie begins to fade from consciousness...) Stechie: You know, thinking about it now, I would've preferred electrocution over drowning... (Suddenly, an orange scarf grabs Stechie from the pond and kills the hornets. It then wraps itself around Stechie's robot body, electrifying it and recharging its batteries. With the recharged energy, Stechie opens the visor to let the water flow out.) Stechie: Phew! Let me tell ya, drowning is not fun. Especially when the only way out is just another death trap. (Stechie looks up once she regains control of the robot and sees Sthien standing before her.) Stechie: Whoa, Sthien?! How'd you escape the shadows? Sthien: I...don't know. I guess I got lucky again. Here, this should keep your electricity supply covered. (Sthien rips part of his scarf from the previous rip and covers Stechie's electricity breaker with it.) Stechie: Oh, um, thanks, Sthien. Is...something different? Sthien: Oh, well, no. It's nothing. Pitchshifter: Somebody get these flippin' hornets away from me! (As Pitchshifter approaches Sthien and Stechie, Sthien unravels his scarf at the hornets and unleashes its electric energy, killing the swarm.) Pitchshifter: Phew! Thanks, man. Stechie: You really didn't have any idea how to get rid of the hornets, did you? Pitchshifter: ...no. So what now? Sthien: Now? We have a swarm to break down... (Sthien runs off to the edge of the forest, with Pitchshifter following suit.) Stechie: I swear, something about him changed... (Stechie follows after Pitchshifter and Sthien.) - End - Category:Blog posts